Roller curtain

ABSTRACT

A roller curtain for use as an area divider, self-storing partition, building closure or the like employs an elongate cylindrical roller which is adapted for rotation to wind and unwind a flexible curtain. The elongate cylindrical roller is suspended from an overhead support by means which support the roller over substantially its entire length to prevent sagging. One means for supporting the roller includes a plurality of first rollers disposed end to end beneath and on one side of the vertical centerline of the roller and a plurality of second rollers disposed end to end beneath and on the opposite side of the elongate roller. The first and second rollers are rotatably supported at their ends by frames which are also attached to the overhead support. Another embodiment of means for supporting the elongate roller provides that the elongate roller be cradled in an endless web which is supported by at least two rollers or series of rollers disposed on each side of the elongate roller.

United States Patent [21] Appl. No.: 370,960

[52] US. Cl. 160/310; 160/323; 242/68.7; 242/73.5 [51] Int. Cl. E06B9/08 [58] Field of Search 160/238, 310, 309, 311, 160/323, 326;242/68.7, 68, 68.4, 73.5, 78.7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,681,016 8/1928 Schmidt242/73.5 1,742,549 1/1930 MacArthur et a1. 242/73.5 2,248,414 7/1941Schane 242/73.5 2,326,642 8/1943 Heiser 1 242/73.5 3,412,950 11/1968Martin, Sr.... 242/68.7 X 3,421,568 H1969 Youngs 160/310 FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLICATIONS 228,151 3/1961 Austria 242/68.7 473,247 5/1951Canada.... 160/238 1,241,956 6/1966 Germany 160/310 Roller Aug. 19, 19751 ROLLER CURTAIN [75] Inventor: Max F. Roller, Lincolnwood, Ill. Prmmr-vExammerMervm ,Stem

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hill, Gross, Simpson, Van [73] Assignee: J. H.Channon, Inc., Chicago, Ill. Samen, Steadman, Chiara & Simpson [22]Filed: June 18, 1973 5 7 ABSTRACT A roller curtain for use as an areadivider, self-storing partition, building closure or the like employs anelongate cylindrical roller which is adapted for rotation to wind andunwind a flexible curtain. The elongate cylindrical roller is suspendedfrom an overhead support by means which support the roller oversubstantially its entire length to prevent sagging. One means forsupporting the roller includes a plurality of first rollers disposed endto end beneath and on one side of the vertical centerline of the rollerand a plurality of second rollers disposed end to end beneath and on theopposite side of the elongate roller. The first and second rollers arerotatably supported at their ends by frames which are also attached tothe overhead support. Another embodiment of means for supporting theelongate roller provides that the elongate roller be cradled in anendless web which is supported by at least two rollers or series ofrollers disposed on each side of the elongate roller.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures I l? @91 1 1 1111.. :Q Q?

sunsets ROLLER CURTAIN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates to a roller curtain for dividing orclosing off an area, and is more particularly con cerned with largeroller curtains in which the curtain material rolls smoothly on anelongate roller and which includes means for supporting the elongateroller so as to prevent sagging thereof and prevent uneven winding ofthe curtain material.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is well known in the case ofgymnasiums, auditoriums and other large rooms to provide an area divideror movable partition in the form of a flexible curtain. One type ofdivider employs the well known Roman shade techniques wherein a curtainis suspended from the ceiling or other overhead support and a pluralityof drawstrands are attached at points spaced along the bottom of thecurtain and guided by a plurality of respective guides. When this typeof curtain is raised to a storage position, it has certain drawbacksincluding: a tendency to sag at the outermost portions of the fabric; atendency for the accordian folds to fold incorrectly, thus giving anuneven appearance; and the requirement of a large stacking height forthe depending structure which becomes most evident and disadvantageouswhere a low overhead is involved. When this type of curtain is loweredto form a partition, any uneven folding or sagging of the materialencountered in raising the curtain causes unsightly fold lines andwrinkles in the fabric.

A second type of flexible partition involves the utilization of a drumor roller at the lower end of a sus pended curtain. A plurality ofraising and lowering strands extend downwardly about the material andembrance the roller such that decreasing or increasing the verticalextent of the strands causes the roller to wind or unwind the curtainmaterial. While the stacking height for an equivalent curtain height isnot as great as with the Roman shade, the wrinkles produced bysupporting the fabric wound roller by the strands is undesirable.Furthermore, as in the case of the Roman shade, the strands themselvesdetract from the appearance of the partition.

Another type of flexible partition or closure is, of

course, the common window shade; however, techniques employed inconventional window shades cannot suffice for the heavy loadsencountered in dividers, partitions and closures which may extend fromapprox imately l()30 feet in height and from a few feet to several tensof feet in length.

Another type of apparatus which is employed for building closures isquite similar to the aforementioned curtain which rolls from the bottomand travels upwardly to a storage position. This type of closure isexemplified in Kuss US. Pat. Nos. 3,398,779, 3,464,480 and 3,521,693,and in Youngs US. Pat. Nos. 3,21 1,2] 1, 3,306,344 and 3,306,345. Theapparatus disclosed by Kuss and Youngs eliminate the unsightly strandsalong the face of the curtain; however, in each instance the apparatusrequires guide rails on each side of the curtain at the door casingsand/or a combination of guide rails and traveling motor mechanisms toeffect vertical travel for winding and unwinding of the curtain aboutthe roller. This apparatus is always visible, even when the fabric is inthe rolled up or storage position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the invention is toprovide a new and improved roller curtain for use as a partition, areadivider or closure in which the above mentioned drawbacks areeliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roller curtain whoseconstruction is adaptable to provide a flexible wall which extends largedistances as may be encountered in dividing large areas such as arenas,field houses, gymnasiums or the like, and whose stacking height is heldat a minimum which is primarily determined by the length and thicknessof the material being wound translated into the layering of the materialon an overhead roller. The weight of the material is only of secondaryimportance with respect to the stacking height, which is the distancethe apparatus depends from an overhead support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roller curtain inwhich the take-up roller is supported from below over its entire lengthand is free to move vertically with respect to its support so that thematerial wound thereon, particularly at material seams, is not subjectedto forces other than its own weight and the weight of the take-up rollerin order to prevent the formation of wrinkles.

Another object of the invention, and one of primary importance to theuser and one which is attendant to all other of my objectives, is toprovide a roller curtain that is pleasing and attractive when in use andreasonably compact in its mounting and storage aspects.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are realized by aroller curtain which depends from the ceiling or other overhead supportsuch as roof trusses, door casings, specially constructured overhead supports for adapting the curtain to the environment, or the like. Hereinthe overhead support is meant to include any such type of overheadstructure and the term floor is generally intended to means the floor ofa building, a sill, other like surface to which the free end of thecurtain would be lowered.

More specifically, a curtain has one end thereof attached to an elongatecylindrical roller which is adapted for rotation to wind and unwind thecurtain. The elongate roller and the curtain carried thereby aresupported on the underneath side of the roller over the entire length ofthe roller in order to prevent sagging of the roller and the formationof wrinkles which would be caused by uneven winding of the curtainmaterial. In one embodiment of the invention a plurality of supportrollers are located beneath and on either side of the verticalcenterline of the take-up roller, with the rollers on each side disposedin an end-to-end relation and supported at their ends by intermediatesupport frames which attach to the overhead support. The use of aplurality of support rollers on each side of the take-up roller in theend-to-end supported relation prevents sagging which would occur if asingle such roller were employed on each side of the take-up roller. Inanother embodiment of the invention similar support rollers carry anendless web which cradles and supports the take-up roller. In theparticular embodiment illustrated hereinbelow, a third roller isemployed to separate the portion of the traveling web which issupporting the take-up roller from the portion of the web therebelowwhich is traveling in the opposite direction. This particularconfiguration envisions the web almost entirely below the take-uproller. Another roller-web configuration would utilize a pair of rollersabove the horizontal centerline of the take up roller and slightlyoutboard of the take up roller to increase the amount of web whichcradles the roller. Additional rollers would be employed to separate theopposite moving portions of the web below the take up roller.

The take up roller is provided with end bearings which are verticallymovable in respective bearing guide frames so that the take up rollermoves up and down in accordance with the change of effective diameterthereof caused by the changing layers of curtain material as the curtainis wound and unwound. This structure thereby limits the compressiveforces applied to the wound fabric to the weight of the fabric and takeup roller as a means of preventing wrinkles, particularly at thevertical seams where panels of curtain material are joined. Anothertechnique employed for eliminating wrinkles which tend to occur at seamsis, not as would be thought to reduce the number of seams, but toincrease the number of seams because the load is carried at veryconcentrated positions at the seams. Another technique for eliminatingwrinkles at seams is to employ welded seams of a two-ply character andto provide a seam width that is as wide as possible. I-Ieretofore seamwidths have been limited to approximately five-eighths of an inch due tothe inability of the available seam forming apparatus to make seams ofgreater widths. I have been successful in providing a substantiallywider seam of at least one inch. While the concept of reducing forces byincreasing the area over which the force is applied is not new, I feelthat it is worth mentioning in connection with my teaching concerningthe elimination of wrinkles since the provision of such wider seams isnot known and aids in enhancing the appearance of the curtain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantagesof the invention, its organization, construction and operation will bebest understood from the following detailed description of preferredembodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, on which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a roller curtain constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention shown with thecurtain material extended between an overhead support and a floor;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the roller curtain apparatus illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the driven end of the apparatus illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an intermediate frame and support structure forthe apparatus illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 4 of another em bodiment of theinvention which employs an endless web for supporting the take uproller; and,

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of theinvention which also employs an endless web for supporting the take uproller.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3,a roller curtain is generally reference 10 and comprises a curtain 11constructed of a plurality of panels of curtain fabric or material whichare joined at a number of seams ll in accordance with the techniquesdiscussed above. The curtain 11 has one end thereof looped about andattached to an elongate cylindrical roller 12. The other end of thecurtain 11 is formed in a pocket, loop or the like 13 and houses aweight 14, which stabilizes the curtain 11 with respect to air currents,etc. The curtain 11 may be provided in an area 15 with a myriad ofopenings 16 as air passageways between the areas divided by the curtain.The provision for air flow is important for the comfort of those individed areas which do not have a distributed ventilation system forheating, air conditioning, etc.

A frame 17 is located at one end of the roller 12 and generallycomprises an upper member 18 for attachment to the overhead support S, alower member 19 for supporting the roller 12 as will be discussed below,and a connecting member 20 connecting the members l8, 19. A member 21 isconnected to and extends from the member 20 for attachment of the lowerends of a pair of guide rails 22, 23 which have their upper endsattached to the member 18. The roller 12 is provided with an end bearing24 for receiving the roller shaft end 25 therein for rotation. Thebearing 24 is carried in a bearing housing 26 which includes a pair ofU-shaped guides 27, 28 which embrace respective ones of the guide rails22, 23. As can be seen in FIG. 2 the elongate cylindrical roller iscarried on a pair of rollers 50, 52 which are at fixed positions;therefore, as the curtain 1,1 is wound onto the roller 12 and increasesthe effective diameter thereof the roller 12 is permitted to moveupwardly with the bearing housing guided by the guide rails 22, 23. Asthe curtain I1 is lowered and unwound from the roller 12 experiences adecrease in its effective diameter and is permitted to move downwardlyby means of its vertically movable bearing structure.

A similar action occurs at the driven end of the roller as can be seenin FIG. 3 wherein a frame 29 is provided which includes an upper member30 for attachment to the overhead support S, a lower member 31 foraiding and supporting the roller 12 and a connecting member 32 connectedbetween the members 30, 31. A member 33 is attached to and extends fromthe connecting member 32 and is attached to the lower ends of a pair ofguide rails 34, 35 which have their upper ends attached to the uppermember 30. This frame structure may also include a pair of members 45,46 which are attached to and depend from the upper member 30 and whichare attached to and carry a plate 47 for mounting a drive mechanism 44.The particular type of drive mechanism and its mounting is not ofimportance since the roller curtain may be adapted to be driven by manysuitable means.

A roller shaft end 36 is mounted in a bearing 37 for rotation. Thebearing 37 is carried in a bearing housing 38 which includes a pair ofUshaped guides 39, 40 which embrace respective ones of the guide rails34, 35. The movement of the roller vertically in response to winding andunwinding of the material occurs at the drivein in the same manner as inthe apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2. This freedom of vertical movementpermits the roller 12 to remain level at all times and accommodated evenwinding of the curtain 11.

The shaft end 36 carries a sprocket 41 which with a sprocket 43 of themotor 44 is entrained by a drive chain 42. An additional sprocket 48 isrotatably mounted on the depending member 45 and serves to preventdisadvantageous loops in the chain 42 when the apparatus is shifted fromone driving direction to the other. The provision of the chain drive andthe attendant forces does not prevent the driven end of the roller fromtravelling vertically along the guide rails 34, 35 in that the chain hassufficient slack to accommodate the necessary amount of vertical travelwhich is normally in the area of, for example, inch-V2 inch.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the lower members 19 and 31 carry support stands 51, 53which in turn carry respective support rollers 50, 52. These rollers ascan be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, support the elongate cylindrical roller 12on the underneath side thereof and at points on op posite sides of avertical line through the axis of rotation of the roller 12. Theserollers are actually a series of elongate rollers disposed in an end toend relation on each side of the roller 12 as can be seen in FIG. 1 andsupported at the intermediate end to end junctions by intermediatesupport frames 54 as illustrated in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4 an intermediatesupport 54 is shown as comprising an upper member 55, a lower member 56and a connecting member 57 which connects the upper and lower members55, 56. Here again, a pair of rollers 50, 52 are supported by respectivesupport members 51, 53 on the lower member 56 of the intermediatesupport frame 54.

The roller or series of rollers 49 illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 serve toguide the curtain 11 to the correct position for vertical drop and maybe extended to any desired position.

In installations where the curtain is to form a wall of substantiallength, for example, 30 feet or so, the elongate cylindrical roller 12has a tendency to deflect horizontally when the curtain has been rolledthereon to such an extent wherein the effective diameter of the rollerwith respect to the support rollers has increased whereby the roller isnot cradled sufficiently between the rollers 50, 52. This problem couldbe eliminated somewhat by spacing the roller 50, 52 further apart;however, this would change the horizontal and vertical components offorce between the rollers 12, 50, 52 in an undesirable manner.Therefore, means have been provided to prevent transverse deflection ofthe roller 12 in the form of a spring loaded roller device 58 carried byat least the central ones of the intermediate frames 54 (FIG. 4). Thedevice 58 includes a housing 59 secured to the connecting member 57 andhousing a spring 60 which urges a member 61 toward the roller 12. Themember 61 carries a roller 62 for contacting the roller 12 and urgingthe same toward the left as viewed in FIG. 4.

Another embodiment of apparatus for supporting the elongate cylindricalroller 12 is illustrated in FIG. 5 wherein a frame 63 includes an uppermember (not shown), a lower member 65 and a connecting member 64 muchthe same as in FIGS. 2-4. A plurality of rollers, here the three rollers66, 67 and 68, serve to support and separate an endless web 74. Therollers 6668 are supported by roller supports 69-71 in the same manneras previously described with respect to the rollers 50, 52. The rollers66 and 68 serve as the primary supports for the web 74 and arepositioned such that the elongate roller 12 is cradled in the web 74.The roller 67 serves to separate the opposite traveling portions of theweb 74 beneath the roller 12. A roller support 73 and a roller 72 areprovided and dimensioned in such a way so that the curtain ll clears theroller 68 and the web thereabout as the curtain 11 passes from theroller 12 to the point of vertical descent.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a variation in the web and rollerconstruction of FIG. 5. In FIG. 6 a pair of support rollers 66', 68' anda pair of spacing rollers 67 have an endless web 74' entrainedthereabout to form a cradle for the elongate cylindrical roller 12.Other configurations of support and separating rollers may, of course,be utilized.

The foregoing as described apparatus which includes verticallytravelling bearing means for providing level rolling of the elongatecylindrical roller. This, however, presupposes that the frame structuresare initially mounted so that the roller is level. Due to the settlingof buildings and changes in loading of overhead supports due toenvironmental conditions, such as the accumulation of snow on a roof,the roller may not stay level after the initial installation. Therefore,means are provided for leveling and maintaining the system level.Various means for accomplishing this purpose are available, such asself-leveling hydraulic anchors which are well known in the art. This issomewhat of an expensive anchoring technique, but rather simple, as inwater seekings its own level. Manual adjustments may be provided on eachframe for leveling. In FIG. 4 a manual leveling apparatus 75 has beenprovided wherein a threaded member, which is secured at its upper end tothe overhead support, has a locking nut arrangement 77, 78 for raisingand lowering the frame. A number of such arrangements or equivalentsthereof, may be provided for each of the end frames and intermediateframes.

Although I have described my invention by reference to specificillustrative embodiments, many changes and modifications thereof maybecome apparent to those skilled in the art without departing fromspirit and scope of the invention. I therefore intend to include withinthe patent warranted hereon all such changes and modifications as mayreasonably and properly be included within the scope of my contributionto the art.

I claim:

1. Apparatus forming a roll up partition which extends from an overheadsupport and a floor or the like, comprising:

a pair of spaced apart rotary bearing means for attachment to theoverhead support and mounted for vertical movement;

a cylindrical roller having opposite ends journalled for rotation inrespective ones of said bearing means;

a curtain for winding about said cylindrical roller and having one endattached to said cylindrical roller and a second end dependingtherefrom;

means extending the length of and supporting said roller and saidcurtain; and

drive means connected to said cylindrical roller for rotating saidroller wind and unwind said curtain, said bearing means movingvertically in unison together as the moving curtain winds on or off ofsaid cylindrical roller, said means supporting said cylindrical rollercomprising an endless web which passes beneath and supports said roller,said web having a width substantially equal to the length of said rollerand with the web having a substantial arcuate area engaging the bottomside of the roller.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said means supporting saidcylindrical roller further comprises at least three elongate rollersmounted for rotation within the path of travel defined by said web withtwo of said rollers flanking said cylindrical roller and supporting saidweb and the third of said three rollers separating the portions of theweb which are traveling in relative opposite directions beneath saidcylindrical roller.

3. Roller curtain apparatus for use as a wall between an overheadsupport and a floor or the like, comprising: first and second frames formounting to the overhead support in spaced relation;

an elongate cylindrical roller adapted to rotate;

first and second bearing means carried by respective ones of said framesmounting said elongate cylindrical roller for rotation;

a curtain having one end attached to said elongate cylindrical rollerwhereby rotation of said roller winds or unwinds said curtain, theamount of wound curtain determining the effective diameter of saidelongate cylindrical roller;

roller support means carried by said frames supporting said elongatecylindrical roller and curtain over substantially the entire length ofsaid elongate cylindrical roller;

mounting means on each of said frames mounting said bearing means aridroller support means for relative vertical movement of one with respectto the other in response to changes in the effective diameter of saidelongate cylindrical roller, said roller support means including:

a plurality of first support rollers disposed end to end below and onone side of said elongate cylindrical roller,

a plurality of second support rollers disposed end to end below and onthe other side of said elongate cylindrical roller;

and means for connection to the overhead support rotatably mounting saidfirst and second support rollers,

said means rotatably mounting said first and second support rollerscomprising:

a plurality of C-shaped frames each including:

a first leg for connection to the overhead support,

a second leg extending beneath said elongate cylindrical roller androtatably mounting the ends of said first and second support rollers,and

a connecting member connecting said first and second legs.

4. Roller curtain apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said rollersupport means includes an endless web mounted to travel beneath andsupport said cylindrical roller.

5. Roller curtain apparatus according to claim 3 comprising curtainguide roller means including a plurality of third rollers disposed endto end between said first and second frames and rotatably mounted at theends thereof on said first and second frames and on the distal ends ofsaid second legs.

6. Roller curtain apparatus according to claim 3, comprising meanscarried by at least some of said connecting members for restrictinglateral movement of said elongate cylindrical roller which tends to movetoward said connecting member as said curtain is wound. l l

1. Apparatus forming a roll up partition which extends from an overheadsupport and a floor or the like, comprising: a pair of spaced apartrotary bearing means for attachment to the overhead support and mountedfor vertical movement; a cylindrical roller having opposite endsjournalled for rotation in respective ones of said bearing means; acurtain for winding about said cylindrical roller and having one endattached to said cylindrical roller and a second end dependingtherefrom; means extending the length of and supporting said roller andsaid curtain; and drive means connected to said cylindrical roller forrotating said roller wind and unwind said curtain, said bearing meansmoving vertically in unison together as the moving curtain winds on oroff of said cylindrical roller, said means supporting said cylindricalroller comprising an endless web which passes beneath and supports saidroller, said web having a width substantially equal to the length ofsaid roller and with the web having a substantial arcuate area engagingthe bottom side of the roller.
 2. The apparatus defined in claim 1,wherein said means supporting said cylindrical roller further comprisesat least three elongate rollers mounted for rotation within the path oftravel defined by said web with two of said rollers flanking saidcylindrical roller and supporting said web and the third of said threerollers separating the portions of the web which are traveling inrelative opposite directions beneath said cylindrical roller.
 3. Rollercurtain apparatus for use as a wall between an overhead support and afloor or the like, comprising: first and second frames for mounting tothe overhead support in spaced relation; an elongate cylindrical rolleradapted to rotate; first and second bearing means carried by respectiveones of said frames mounting said elongate cylindrical roller forrotation; a curtain having one end attached to said elongate cylindricalroller whereby rotation of said roller winds or unwinds said curtain,the amount of wound curtain determining the effective diameter of saidelongate cylindrical roller; roller support means carried by said framessupporting said elongate cylindrical roller and curtain oversubstantially the entire length of said elongate cylindrical roller;mounting means on each of said frames mounting said bearing means androller support means for relative vertical movement of one with respectto the other in response to changes in the effective diameter of saidelongate cylindrical roller, said roller support means including: aplurality of first support rollers disposed end to end below and on oneside of saiD elongate cylindrical roller, a plurality of second supportrollers disposed end to end below and on the other side of said elongatecylindrical roller; and means for connection to the overhead supportrotatably mounting said first and second support rollers, said meansrotatably mounting said first and second support rollers comprising: aplurality of C-shaped frames each including: a first leg for connectionto the overhead support, a second leg extending beneath said elongatecylindrical roller and rotatably mounting the ends of said first andsecond support rollers, and a connecting member connecting said firstand second legs.
 4. Roller curtain apparatus according to claim 3wherein said roller support means includes an endless web mounted totravel beneath and support said cylindrical roller.
 5. Roller curtainapparatus according to claim 3 comprising curtain guide roller meansincluding a plurality of third rollers disposed end to end between saidfirst and second frames and rotatably mounted at the ends thereof onsaid first and second frames and on the distal ends of said second legs.6. Roller curtain apparatus according to claim 3, comprising meanscarried by at least some of said connecting members for restrictinglateral movement of said elongate cylindrical roller which tends to movetoward said connecting member as said curtain is wound.